Smirking ladette lout grins outside court after being spared jail for threatening to ‘have neighbour shot’ – minutes after CRYING to the judge

Mum-of-two Natalie Ashworth, 32, had been facing prison over the terrifying attempt to force him to drop the assault and damage charges against her

By Sam Christie

12th September 2018,11:17 am

Updated: 12th September 2018,12:46 pm

A LADETTE grins outside court after being spared jail for threatening to have a neighbour shot – minutes after CRYING to the judge.

Smirking Natalie Ashworth, 32, had been facing prison over the terrifying attempt to force him to drop the assault and damage charges against her.

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Natalie Ashworth, 32,grins outside court after she was spared prison

But at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court the mum of two was let off with a two-year suspended sentence after Judge John Potter saw her crying in the dock.

The court heard she had a string of previous convictions for public order offences and has issues with binge drinking.

But the judge told Ashworth: ”I can see that you are distressed so please remain seated.

”What I am about to say to you may be the most important words that you will possibly hear in your life because if you don’t abide by this then you go back to prison.

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The mum of two was facing jail for threatening to shoot a neighbour

”This is a particularly serious matter because people who undermine the justice system in this way normally go to prison. In fairness to you, you did plead guilty and you will receive credit for that.

“You have a number of previous convictions recorded against you over a number of years; you have caused harm to others and intimidated people before.”

After the case Ashworth, of Reddish, Stockport, who admitted witness intimidation was seen grinning as she emerged from the building and hugging a smiling friend.

The court heard the incidents happened in June after she fell out with neighbour David Shepley and during a row beat him up and smashed his Samsung mobile phone.

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Ashworth, of Reddish, Stockport, admitted witness intimidation

Prosecutor Michael Goldwater said: “She was charged with common assault and criminal damage but later events took a more sinister turn later when he was in his house with his family and heard her shouting outside ‘I have been charged and I can’t go back to prison.’

”She then said ‘if I go back to prison then your home and pub will get rushed.’

“She then said to another man: ‘tell David to drop the charges and I will buy him a new phone.

“If I get locked up then I have got friends who will rush his house and his mum’s pub will be no more.’

“A neighbour later heard the defendant shout ‘drop the charges or I will go to jail or you will get shot’.

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The mum of two was arrested in July

The defendant then rang Mr Shepley that day and said she will get him a new phone if he drops the charges and added that his ”life will not be worth living” if she goes to jail.

Ashworth was arrested in July.

The court heard she had 20 offences on her record dating back to 2012 including disorderly behaviour and criminal damage and two counts of battery.

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She also had convictions for racially aggravated disorder offences in 2015 and 2016 and for which she got a suspended jail term